Winter Workshop. A brief summary.

“Whatever Happened to the Family? Where Are the Leaders?” This was the theme of our annual Winter Workshop and Revival Meeting. It is always refreshing to begin each year with intelligent and stimulating discussion designed to affect change in the hearts and minds of believers. In previous years we have hosted seminars dealing with finances, grief & depression, relationship issues, evangelism, and aging to name a few. This year we invited one of the nation’s foremost scholars and historians with an expertise in church leadership and administration as well as the dynamic of the African American family. Dr. Jefferson R. Caruthers, the evangelist of the Carver Road Church of Christ in Winston-Salem, NC, addressed the above mentioned topics with the professionalism, adeptness, and dedication to the “text” as he has been noted for in the churches of Christ for many years. He presents a thorough and keen insight into many of the historical and practical issues that we have come to be familiar with in our fellowship. One such issue is “Faith after 18 years” i.e. how & why many in our churches make a mass exodus from the church after they reach the age of 18. In speaking with Dr. Caruthers it became clear to me that many of us have been guilty of spiritual sabotage by saying things like “As long as you are in my house you will do as I say” or “Until your 18^th birthday you are my responsibility and then you can do what you want”! Both of those statements as well as others have been used in the family context for many years among many in our number. However, he brought out the fact (biblically) that our faith should be passed down from generation to generation whether the child is 18, 48 or 108! In his piece on administration and leadership, he dealt with the leaders in the bible from a biblical historical context i.e. how God prepares his leaders for the functions they undertake. He also dealt with many of the historical positions “brethren” have taken on a leaders qualifications. In his presentations, which are immersed in scripture, he brings out the “meat” of the passage and allows those in attendance to arrive at the biblical and logical conclusion based on the present and surrounding context staying true to the un-prejudicial and original meaning. My congregation as well as many others in our fellowship must come to grips individually with the many issues of our day, and in doing so must remain faithful to the written word of God. Our lives at the “Well” have been richly blessed! Our families are stronger; our leaders (in the home and church) have been strengthened and challenged as well.

You have the CLUE!

LOOK BEHIND YOU ...

One of my favorite sayings and mantra’s of life is “The final test of leadership is whether or not anyone is following”. Another way to say it is, “If you are leading and no one is following, you are just taking a walk”. As a leader, especially in the religious context, followers mean a lot; a whole lot. Not for the reason you may first think, however. Certainly as a leader you want to “lead”. But more importantly those behind you must be learning, and growing into leaders themselves. A major part of a leader’s job is to make other leaders.

Kenneth O. Gangel writes:

            “Church leaders need to produce leaders who will reproduce leaders precisely as it is done in the family – through experience, instruction, and modeling. The true leader      practices all of them all the time. The leadership process remains at heart a discipling   process with modeling the first indispensible part of the task.” Feeding and Leading.

Think of your ministry, life, work, or organization for a minute … how well are you preparing your followers to lead? As a father my primary job is to prepare my young sons for the experience of manhood. My daily “up-close-and-personal” life must radiate confidence, maturity, compassion and competence … all vital necessities of leadership and must have’s for men and women today.  Compassion may seem like the odd-man-out, but leadership without the ability to feel for and with people is barbarism! People are attracted to you based on what they see “in” you, not by what they see “on” you. That leads to my main CLUE …

1 Sam 22:1-2 says … “All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.” NIV

David endeared himself tremendously with not only his father’s household, but all of those who were in particular straits themselves.

The text says that among the people, certain sorts were attracted to David.

   (a) The Distressed - 22:2a "everyone who was in distress” (Lit. a narrow place; confinement)

   (b) The Debtors - 22:2b "everyone who was in debt" (you know what debt is - lol)

   (c) The Discontented - 22:2c "everyone who was discontented (Lit. Bitter about life)

These were people on the run, in trouble, and in need of serious help. They knew that their situation was bad and but would get worse if David wasn’t there. David had made a connection with the people. God had blessed him and the people had an affinity with him. We read in

1 Sam. 18:16 (v.5) that “all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.”

This means that he was a man of the people. He walked with them, he talked with them … he shared in their pains and successes … he was with them on the battlefield … he was available; he was touchable; he was lovable … the people knew if anybody cared for them David did … if anyone could understand them David could … if anyone could help them David was certainly the one!

How well do you identify with those you lead or work with? Would your presence be missed if you were to leave? I’m not speaking of a self-serving, narcissistic type of environment where you have made yourself the center of everything … but would there be a general consensus that things are better when you are there because you have “connected or bonded” with others?  they gladly give up the comfort and stability of their surroundings to be where you are? This at the outset seems strange to think about, but think again of your family and what you provide for them: food, shelter, security, love, etc. Well as a leader you have been placed there to be a provider … a giver … a supplier … a FEEDER!  It’s only when people grasp a deep sense of care and concern that they will long to be where you are. They will come HUNGRY! Competence & courage will take you a long way … but the real test of your leadership is if anyone is actually following your lead! A person with no compassion for the plight of others will soon find that no one behind his back has his back! For David this was a critical reason for his success with people. So much so that he “became their leader” i.e. the people made him their leader.  Look behind you. Anybody there?

You have the CLUE!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

@•#* No, I won't Go!

H@%l No,  I won't Go!

As a leader, I am drawn to the situation in Egypt. It has become apparent to everyone in the world except Pres. Mubarak, that his time as leader has come to an abrupt end. His backing of course comes from his military force. But it remains to be seen just how long they will support him. 

What if any Lesson can leaders learn from this display of wills. Well, at first, it must be understood that leadership is a "granted" position ie people grant you the power to lead them. They may follow you out of a sense of obligation or because of your title only for a short time - it has been because of his army that he has stayed this long - but in general people will not support you if they feel they can't trust you or they feel that you don't represent their interests. Biblically speaking, leaders must not compromise the Word of God or their convictions, but still, people allow you to lead them and they will leave you if they don't feel your compassion and concern for them. They will find another preacher or leader to lead them; one who cares. What we do, we don't do for accolades, but we must lead Gods people in a God honoring way; a way that considers them and helps them become all they can become! That was the apostle Paul's teaching in Ephesians 4 "perfecting the saints for the work of ministry".  My prayers are with our friends in Egypt and I hope no more lives are lost and that good leadership and common sense will prevail.

A short CLUE    

What's in YOUR hand?

"And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? and he said, A rod." (Ex. 4:2)

If you are familiar with this account of Moses, you will appreciate this ... even if you are not, you can apreciate this moment of transition in the life of a  great leader! Moses was chosen by God Himself to leave his position of relative obscurity and take up a very prominent role of leadership … He was being tasked to abandon his shepherding of his four legged flocks to step up and into a very demanding position in which he would lead another kind of flock … A two legged one … the children of Israel. God had assured him that he in fact was God’s choice and that the Almighty would certainly be with him. At this point all Moses had to do was accept his position and task and surely he would be successful! What an opportunity!However, it appears that Moses heard the LORD talking, but his mind was wandering … he could understand what the LORD was saying but he wasn’t really hearing him … he understood the words, but he began to wonder and entertain hypothetical scenarios. I believe he went in to “Panic mode”!

Life can make you panic … there are some circumstances that cause us to panic sometimes … financial, medical, familial … panic is a response to an uncertain stimulus … many have “panic” attacks … brought on by any number of situations … usually a fear of an unfavorable outcome … a childhood phobia … an anxiety … many are frozen in their tracks … the root of Moses’ panic was a fear of rejection – they won’t believe me … they will say The LORD didn’t appear to me … they will think I’m crazy … he allowed his inner fear and insecurity to overcome him and question the very God who appeared to him and declared himself to be “I AM THAT I AM” …

-         He allowed his minor insecurities to overshadow God’s major possibilities

-         He allowed his personal limitations to overshadow God’s universal preparations

-         He let his private boundaries overshadow God’s expansive borders … yes when he thought of the fact that God would call him, a desert dweller, a shepherd, and former Egyptian to go back to Egypt and stand before a powerful king, he looked at himself then looked at the task before him and came to the conclusion that surely he was the wrong man for the job! Surely they would need someone with more prominence and notoriety … certainly someone of greater significance …

I don’t know what it is about a man sometimes (I mean a male here) that makes him/us panic and show signs of trepidation from time to time … every once in a while I hear a sister say “he wasn’t ready for commitment” or I hear a brother say “I don’t know if I am ready to make that step yet” …

Well, let me speak from my limited experience: “The only way to assure failure is not to try” … when I went to college many years ago, I had hesitation because it was new, but I went anyway …

When I joined the military many years ago, I had anxieties because it was something different, but I went anyway …

When I met my wife over 20 years ago, I had never been married … I had never proposed … I had never taken care of anybody but myself … it was new, it was different, I was a little nervous … but I went on ahead anyway … and today I thank God because he has brought us a mighty long way! When our first son was born … I had never been a father before … I had never had someone call me “daddy” … I never thought I could love another person like that … but God helped me “man-up” … God’s word directed me … God’s people protected me … God’s ministers selected me … and taught me all I needed to know!

I’m saying when you are given a task by someone greater than you, or you are venturing out into unknown territory … have faith in God, have faith in the ability that he has given you, and have a little faith in yourself … after all, we are made in His image! He put something/someone/situation in your hand ... what are you gonna do?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
 ----from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.

Now you have the CLUE!

Teamwork really does make the dream work!

Teamwork still makes the dream work!

How many times have you endeavored to get a job done and realized that if you had others working with you that it would be a “Heck-of-a-lot” easier? It may have been in accomplishing a project way too big for one person to begin with. Or even in leading a small organization or church group. Hey, even guiding a home ladies (gents too!) I mean, sometimes even the children can lend a hand to get the dishes done or the laundry folded! It doesn’t have to naturally fall on mom (I’m not trying to be politically correct hereJ). My point is this “Leadership need not be such a lonely and burdensome task when there are others who are capable of assisting!” Sounds simple huh? Well, it would appear that more and more “leaders” are dead set on doing things all on their own thereby not allowing others to grow. Sometimes as a leader you have to allow others to help even if they only get it half right at times. Then you praise them for the effort!

Here’s the CLUE …

My interest in biblical leadership and administration has often brought me to the apostle Paul. Paul in several places lists the qualities for effective leadership and administration. On a few occasions he stressed that there should always be unity, order, and harmony in the Lord’s church (1 Corinthians 1:10-10; 14:33, 40). As an administrator Paul literally “wrote the book” on choosing qualified personnel, training them, and setting them over assigned tasks. Passages such as 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 1:5-9, stress the importance of faithfulness, hospitality, teaching ability, good family life, respectability, etc for individuals desiring leadership positions in the church.

            Part of the reason the apostle Paul was so effective was his ability to work well with other people. How many horror stories have you heard of the “associate pastor/minister” and the senior pastor/minister never getting along because one or both of them were insecure of themselves and worried about their positions? This usually narrows boils down to a lack of proper communication. In an article I recall reading, the author shared several ways to improve communication and overall work environment among pastors and associate pastors. (I cannot recall the article as it was for a class project some time ago)  He suggests (through various interviews) that associates and others working with senior pastors need among other things: clear areas of responsibility, praise, public support, and social “hang out” time, i.e. just spending time together. He rightly stated that a healthy relationship between the senior and associate pastor is crucial to the life and ministry of the church. 

We see this clearly in the Apostle Paul’s relationships with his younger associates Timothy and Titus. He left Timothy at Ephesus and Titus at Crete to “set things in order” i.e. teach, train, and lead, but before that, he spent time with them … teaching them … giving them time to grow and learn from him (2 Corinthians 12:18; Galatians 2:1; 2 Timothy 2:2; 3:10-17; Titus 1:5).  Is it any secret that the churches we read about in the bible were taught to work together and share responsibilities with each other? As Paul spent time and taught his young associates, he instilled in them the idea of teamwork. Teamwork or shared leadership is a mark of a healthy church, group, home or organization. The traditional standards of “Top-down leadership” only, may have worked in the past, but leaders today will not survive without teamwork and shared leadership experience. Teamwork really does make the Dream Work!
You now have the CLUE!